3. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Colorado gets a lot of attention for its mountains, and rightfully so. The Rockies are awesome, skiing is awesome and it’s pretty cool to be in a major city like Denver and still have spectacular mountain views. But it turns out Colorado might have a monopoly on all of the best outdoor destinations, not just mountains. Great Sand Dunes National Park boasts the tallest sand dunes in North America, along with forests, wetlands and alpine lakes. Try your hand at sand boarding, cool off in Medano Creek or camp out for some of the clearest views of the night sky you’ve ever seen.